James Brown was known as the hardest working man in show business. It's likely he would have been impressed by Jason Whittier, our news partners at the MetroWest Daily News reported.

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In the past two years, Whittier has written and produced two films — one of which screened Nov. 10 in Clinton. He's also had two scripts optioned and penned three more. That's what he does in his spare time. He also has a full-time job as a German teacher at Pentucket Regional Middle School in West Newbury, an hour's drive from his home in Marlborough. In addition, he delivers newspapers.

But wait, there's more. He's also married to his high school sweetheart and the father of three young daughters. Recently added to his schedule is attending his eldest girl's soccer games.

This rather busy routine begs the question: How the heck does Whittier do all this?

"My wife is extremely supportive," says Whittier, 28. "If she wasn't as supportive as she is, I wouldn't be able to do what I'm doing, definitely. My parents are supportive as well. My dad is selling tickets to the premiere in Clinton."

For the record, Whittier's wife is the former Jen Smith, who grew up in Southborough and met her future husband at Algonquin Regional High School. Whittier hails from Northborough, the school's other district, where his parents Paul and Jean Whittier still reside.

After graduating from Algonquin in 2003, West Virginia University in 2007 with a B.A. in German and the University of Georgia in 2010 with a master's degree in German studies, Whittier traveled to Michigan to teach German at Laker High School in Pigeon. And it was in Michigan where Whittier made his first film.

So what do movie buffs who like to write do? Well, they can become film critics. Or they can become screenwriters. Whittier chose the latter.

His first screenplay was "Mosca," an action-drama based on the life of his grandparents, Evagrio and Ursala Mosca, during World War II.

"I tried to sell it, tried to get agents, but I kept hearing, 'It's a period piece. It's big budget," recalls Whittier. "I was very inexperienced, but I got some advice from a producer in Rhode Island to write a modern low-budget screenplay."

The result was "Waterfront Nightmare," a psychological thriller in which seven college friends spend their spring break in a remote waterfront cabin only to discover that their lives are in jeopardy.

"I kicked the screenplay around," says Whittier. "A couple production companies read it. They were kind of interested, but I didn't hear any thing. And I kept looking for agents, but nothing materialized. Finally, after a while, I said, 'You know what? Maybe I'll try to produce it.'"

He went online and found his director, Clark Birchmeier, who conveniently enough also lived in Michigan. Whittier called him and a collaboration was born.

The film's cast consisted mostly of locals, though some hailed from New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago. The film was shot in 19 days during the summer of 2011 on a $20,000 budget. Money was raised through donations and fundraisers while a couple of investors chipped in and the director and producer made contributions.

Cast and crew deferred their pay pending a distribution deal. And they 're going to get paid, too, since the filmmakers recently signed a distribution agreement with Digital Media Rights for video on demand/DVD rights in the United States, Canada and South America.

They're also working on a distribution deal in India and other international territories. Filming of "Waterfront Nightmare" went smoothly apart from the incessant rain and a faulty light that necessitated a scene rewrite. And you know that horror film staple where no one's cellphone works? That actually happened for the filmmakers, who shot very deep into the woods and had to drive down the road to get a signal.

Shooting mostly at night also introduced cast and crew to the creatures of the night.

"We'd hear the coyotes all around us howling," says Whittier. "It was kind of creepy."

Reaction to the film has been positive, according to the writer-producer. It screened last month at the Rock and Shock Festival in Worcester, where it sold out, and was nominated for best feature at the Cyprus International Film Festival, Salty International Horror Film Festival and Chicago Horror Film Festival.

It has also been an official selection at several film festivals in Europe and the United States, including the Killer Film Fest in Somerville.

And his advice for budding screenwriters? "Persistence, networking and an incredible amount of patience," he says. "There's no way you make it without them." He adds that thanks to the wonders of the Internet, you don't have to move to Los Angeles to succeed.

True, you can build a movie empire in Marlborough. And if Whittier opens a studio on Bolton Street, don't be surprised.